Volunteer Monitoring Highlights Damage and Drought in Italy's Tagliamento River

Since April, more than thirty volunteers from local Legambiente, WWF, Foce del Tagliamento and the CIRF have been walking the full length of the Tagliamento, from Socchieve to its mouth, to record river conditions. The "Mille occhi sul Tagliamento" project combines field notes with satellite imagery from the University of Salerno‑Udine, continuing the 2025 "Free Tagliamento" campaign that was backed by Patagonia and other NGOs.

Key observations include large, unmarked excavation works near Pioverno on 10 April, off‑road vehicles used for picnics and bivouacs at the Cosa confluence on 21 May, and a dry flow‑threshold at the Braulins bridge on 15 July where gravel had been moved, threatening fish passage. Volunteers say early‑2000s deregulation removed hydro‑geological restrictions, allowing unrestricted motor‑vehicle access to the riverbed except in Natura 2000 sites, where controls remain inadequate. They are urging regional authorities to address these pressures amid broader water‑security concerns in Friuli Venezia Giulia, such as PFAS contamination and drought.